


Cooking

by Gaaybriel



Series: Merlin, The Teacher [2]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Cooking, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-10
Updated: 2013-02-10
Packaged: 2017-11-28 20:58:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/678823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gaaybriel/pseuds/Gaaybriel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin teaches Arthur to cook and Arthur does not make it easy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cooking

"Merlin?"  


"Hmm?" Merlin was busy cooking dinner (roast beef and all the trimmings, his favourite) when Arthur interrupted him from the kitchen door. Merlin turned towards him and found him slouched awkwardly in the doorway with his hands shoved deep into his pockets. He was staring down at his feet, his brow furrowed.  


"Would you teach me?" he asked eventually.  


"Teach you what? To cook?" Merlin asked, raising his eyebrows skeptically.  


"Don't look so surprised." Arthur told him as he walked further into the kitchen. "I learned to drive, didn't I?" Merlin laughed and went back to checking that the potatoes hadn't boiled over.  


"Cooking isn't like driving. It's slower and more...intricate."  


"Intricate?" Arthur repeated in a mocking tone.  


"Yes. Intricate." Merlin replied, turning around to face Arthur once more and realising they were just about nose to nose.  


"And I can't be intricate. Is that right, Merlin?" Arthur asked, running a thumb across Merlin's lower lip. Merlin stuttered for a few seconds before a hissing sound from behind snapped him back to reality. He whirled around and noticed that the potatoes had indeed boiled over. He sighed. Merlin loved to cook but he hated to clean and cleaning the stove top was almost impossible.  


"Look what you made me do." he said, pointing at the stove and looking at Arthur. Arthur laughed.  


"I'll make you do it again if you don't teach me." Merlin rolled his eyes.  


"Fine." Arthur did his usual ridiculous arm pump and turned to leave the kitchen.  


"YOU'RE CLEANING THIS UP!" Merlin shouted after him.  


The next day Merlin decided he would start off easy and teach Arthur how to make mac and cheese. He was even going to teach him from scratch and not buy a box of Kraft Cheesy Pasta (which Merlin, even as a very proud chef, would admit is way better than the home made stuff but he wouldn't admit that to Arthur).  


"This is taking too long." Arthur moaned. He was sitting on the counter top beside the stove and swinging his legs and, every so often, sighing with impatience. Merlin stood in front of Arthur, looking up at him and put both his hands on Arthur's thighs to still his legs.  


"I waited a thousand years for you to get your arse out of that lake. I think you can wait a few minutes for some water to boil." Merlin said before playfully smacking Arthur's leg. Arthur flinched.  


"Ow!" he said with a frown on his face, rubbing his leg. He looked back at Merlin after a few moments and then placed his hands on either side of Merlin's face and looked him straight in the eyes. "I'm sorry." Arthur kissed Merlin quickly. "Now, teach me! I promise I will be good." Merlin smiled.  


"Okay. Now that the water has boiled-"  


"-Finally!" Arthur cut in. Merlin shushed him with a look.  


"Now that the water has boiled we can put the pasta in." Merlin looked expectantly at Arthur who then dug his hands into the very big bag of pasta on the counter and deposited it all into the pot. "You do realise that pasta doubles in size?" Merlin asked, looking at the mountain of pasta in the pot. Arthur shrugged.  


"I'm hungry." he said. Merlin nodded before moving on.  


"Now, we turn it down a bit and put the lid on." Merlin turned the temperature down as Arthur put the lid on the pot. "Now the fun part: the cheese sauce." Merlin said excitedly as he pulled another pot out of the cupboard.  


"You have a strange idea of fun, Merlin." Merlin ignored Arthur's jibe and went to get all the ingredients he needed.  


"We need butter, milk, cheese and flour." Merlin said, setting each of the ingredients beside Arthur as he listed them. "And we start with butter." Merlin used a wooden spoon to scoop a big chunk of butter out of the pack and put it in the pot.  


"How much?" Arthur asked, looking at the melting butter.  


"Uh, however much you want really." he replied shrugging. "And once it's all melted we put some flour in." Merlin opened the bag of flour. "Now," he began "I am going to trust you to control the flour. Don't mess up." he finished, handing Arthur the bag.  


"Yes, sir!" Arthur replied with a mock salute.  


"Pour it in slowly until I say stop." Arthur began to pour as slowly as he could and the look of concentration on his face made Merlin smile. "We have to make a kind of dough with it."  


"Okay, stop." and Arthur immediately stopped and put the flour down. However, he put a little bit too much force behind the flour and it burst upwards out of the bag, coating Arthur's face and hair in a fine layer of white. Merlin laughed loudly while Arthur shook his head violently and coughed a little. Arthur jumped off the counter and went to walk out of the room and Merlin grabbed his arm.  


"And where do you think you are going?"  


"To the shower."  


"I don't think so. You have a sauce to finish making."  


"Meeerrliiiin!"  


"You're the one who wanted to learn!" Arthur sighed and hopped back up onto the counter.  


"Fine." he said, sulking.  


"Okay. Now pour some milk in."  


Arthur followed Merlin's orders until he was standing over the sink draining the pasta and then mixing the cheese sauce in with it. He put the pot down on the counter.  


"Now, can I go take a shower?" Arthur pleaded.  


"But your pasta will be cold by the time you get out." Merlin teased. Merlin picked up a bowl and filled it before sitting at the table. Arthur followed suit and just as he sat down he was hit in the face by a towel. He hastily rubbed it across his face before looking angrily over at Merlin. Merlin just smiled.  


"Eat and then we can go take a shower."  


The implied meaning of the word "we" was incentive enough for Arthur to put his shower off for a bit.


End file.
